The visit of Pope Leo XIV is generating more than notable public expectation. He is a figure who, contrary to what was initially thought when he was elected a year ago – after a papacy as emblematic as that of Francis – has quickly carved out a prominent place in the global public arena. How? With stances in favor of welcoming immigrants, warning against the dangers of artificial intelligence under the control of large corporations (his recent first encyclical emphasizes this), and in favor of a Christian humanism based on dialogue and tolerance with diversity. It is from this doctrinal and ideological basis that the American Prevost has clearly distanced himself from the warmongering and ultranationalist policy of his country's president, Donald Trump, and from the most conservative Church in both the US and other latitudes.
This is the figure who will land in Madrid on Saturday and in Catalonia on Tuesday. During the two days he will be in the Catalan capital, he will bless the Tower of Jesus Christ of the Sagrada Familia, hold a massive event at the Lluís Companys Stadium, and visit the Montserrat monastery, among other pastoral visits. His moral and symbolic strength, combined with growing popularity, means that any gesture from the pontiff is read in detail and has repercussions that go far beyond the Catholic community. This is why, even before his arrival, he is already a subject of controversy, starting with who will pay for the masses – it is surprising that the governments of Catalonia and the Canary Islands contribute, but not that of Madrid – and what use he will make of the Catalan language.
On this second point, the initial indications in this regard, with little presence of Catalan, have provoked an immediate reaction, both within the Church itself and in the political and institutional sphere. This Tuesday, there have been calls from bishops, the Government, and the presidency of the Parliament urging the Christian spiritual leader to make more intensive use of the country's own language, in line with the synodality defended by both Francis and Leo XIV: a more participatory Church, open to base communities.
In this regard, Leo XIV, like his predecessor, adapts to the linguistic uses proposed by the archdiocese he visits. Therefore, it is Archbishop Joan Josep Omella who made the first downward bet and who now seems to be making a rectification to give more presence to Catalan. Omella, originally from La Franja de Ponent, has indeed not distinguished himself during his term for his sensitivity towards Catalan. Pope Francis himself was astonished at the Vatican when, in 2023, at an event for the 800th anniversary of the Confraria de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat, Omella handed him a text to read: "It is in Spanish. Shouldn't it be in Catalan?", Bergoglio told him.
This time it seems that, finally, Omella will avoid Prevost being surprised to have to use Spanish more – a language that, on the other hand, he knows perfectly – than Catalan. Leo XIV, who does have sensitivity for linguistic diversity: during his long stay in Peru with indigenous communities, he learned Quechua.
